Jacksonville Bold for 3.15.23: Need for Fried

Need for Fried

Early voting is well underway in Duval County for the next round of city elections on Tuesday, and the new Chair of the Florida Democratic Party is mobilizing voters.

Nikki Fried stopped by Jacksonville’s Five Points district Monday evening, for a get-out-the-vote rally at Rain Dogs; the former Agriculture Commissioner has a long connection with Jacksonville, and her visit Monday was imbued with urgency.

“Duval is home. My heart is here. And we are going to continue to show up all the time. Because we know Duval is Blue,” Fried said, drawing applause from the dozens of candidates and activists on hand. “And it is time for us to start winning these local races again.”

“The name of the game is turnout,” Fried added. “This is all-hands-on-deck.”

The race is teeming with pickup opportunities.

Though Democrats are not running candidates for Sheriff or Supervisor of Elections, they have provided two mayoral candidates — unlike in 2019, when no Democrats challenged incumbent Republican Lenny Curry.

Whether she was aware (or not) of the pitched nature of various Democratic campaigns this cycle is unknown, but she offered advice that she hopes candidates take after Tuesday’s election.

“Tuesday when the election is over, come together,” Fried urged, saying that after March 21, Duval Democrats should be “one party, united.”

Democrats haven’t seen much engagement from the state party in years in Duval. The new chair at least acknowledges that.

Bradley bill backed

Nathan Myers was one of two people who spent decades in prison after being wrongfully convicted of a 1976 murder. Despite being exonerated via State Attorney Melissa Nelson’s Conviction Integrity Unit, and compensated for his time behind bars, injustice still percolates.

“The current law is flawed and in need of an overhaul,” Myers writes. “For starters, I was eligible for compensation, but my uncle Clifford Williams was not. Florida is the only state in the country with a “clean hands” provision that bars those with prior criminal records. My uncle and I spent the same amount of time in prison for the same wrongful conviction, but he initially could not receive the compensation he was due because of unrelated convictions when he was younger.

“In lieu of a streamlined process in statute, he had to file a separate claim bill to secure the compensation he deserved. In other words, the ‘clean hands’ provision basically allows the state to revictimize the exonerees it wrongly imprisoned.”

Myers backs a legislative proposal, carried by Clay County’s Jennifer Bradley in the Senate and Rep. Traci Koster in the House.

“Earlier this month, the Florida House Criminal Justice Subcommittee gave approval to House Bill 43, sponsored by Rep. Koster and cross-filed as Senate Bill 382 by Sen. Bradley, which will upgrade the state’s existing compensation law. The legislation would not only remove the law’s ‘clean hands’ provision, but it would also create a more practical deadline for filing claims.”

“These fixes, long endorsed across party lines, will bring the law better in line with the 38 other states who have enacted similar legislation. It would clear the way for 17 of Florida’s 84 wrongfully convicted persons to seek compensation. Several of them have been waiting for more than a decade since their exoneration to be eligible to receive state compensation.”

Clot clout

A House spending panel is giving a nod to a bill that creates a pulmonary blood clot and embolism policy work group to determine how many people in Florida are impacted by blood clots.

These numbers are estimated because currently there is no systematic collection of blood clot-related morbidity or mortality data in the United States.

The bill (HB 483), filed by Rep. Dean Black, creates the Emily Adkins Prevention Act. The measure establishes a work group composed of health care providers, patients, family members, health care associates and advocates and authorizes the House Speaker and Senate President to each appoint two members.

The state Surgeon General is empowered to appoint the Chair of the group.

The House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee approved the measure Tuesday.

While the bill enumerates some details, it does not lay out requirements regarding the size of the committee. Members, though, won’t be compensated for their work, according to the bill.

HB 483 passed the committee unanimously. It heads to the House Health & Human Services Committee next. The companion measure is SB 612, filed by Sen. Clay Yarborough. That bill has been referred to three Senate committees but has yet to be considered by any of them.

Curry v. Kiddos

Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry hasn’t held back from his thoughts about the race to replace him in City Hall.

He backs Jax Chamber CEO Daniel Davis and he’s been particularly critical of another Republican candidate, City Council member LeAnna Gutierrez Cumber, a trend which is continuing to the end and resurfaced Sunday.

“You can’t govern if you don’t win. So, gloves off is a must,” Curry tweeted. “Big-money candidates are usually strategic. I’ve lived through & been part of my share of political ads that are uncomfortable. But this #jaxpol race has a candidate that’s going to lose big doing stuff that is cringe.”

Curry explained further: “The cringe is so bad I won’t name it. But can’t imagine being so desperate that I would USE people I love to be part of my political Hail Mary. So, a nasty Kudos to next-level politics. They have far exceeded where I would go to win. And I’m all in on the arena.”

The reference was clearly to the “Kiddos” ad launched late last week, a positive(ish) spot during early voting that took the unusual step of having Cumber’s children Jake and Poppy contending, among other things, that Davis is “saying a lot of untrue things about our mom.”

Politicians use their children in photo ops, of course. But a speaking role in an ad may be a bridge too far, at least for the current Mayor in 2023.

Is the Mayor right? To watch the ad, please click on the image below:

Split pitches

Former Jacksonville Republican Rep. Jason Fischer is making a late argument through direct mail to Jacksonville voters for his property appraiser effort, but which pieces you get could depend on which party you’re registered under.

For example, a household in a generally Republican neighborhood recently received three mail pieces from Fischer, with notably different messages.

The registered Republican received a piece promoting Fischer’s relationship with Gov. Ron DeSantis. One side sports slogans like, “DeSantis Endorsed, Ready to Lead,” and stated he worked in the Legislature for DeSantis priorities like cutting government waste, reducing illegal immigration and supporting law enforcement.

Bringing the pitch home, the other side has a photo of Fischer and DeSantis together with a quote backing Fischer from the Governor.

The other two pieces, sent to an unaffiliated voter, contain attacks on his Democratic opponent, City Councilwoman Joyce Morgan. Both hit Morgan for City Council pay increases and property tax hikes without being overly specific about either.

A.G. around town

Jacksonville Bold’s A.G. Gancarski has a number of public and media appearances scheduled ahead of next week’s mayoral election.

Along with Andrew Pantazi of the Tributary, Gancarski will present a panel at First Coast Tiger Bay Friday. The meeting kicks off at 11:30 at Jacksonville’s River Club and members pay $30 for entry while non-members pay five dollars more for the same privilege. A buffet lunch is included with the price of admission.

Saturday morning will find Gancarski at First Coast News, where he is scheduled for an interview during the 8 a.m. hour with Rich Donnelly, and local elections will likely dominate that discussion.

On Monday evening, meanwhile, Chris Hand will host a Twitter Spaces discussion featuring Florida Times-Union columnist Nate Monroe and Gancarski; yet again, First Election will be the focus.

You could allow #Jacksonville Election Day to arrive without hearing a final discussion about all of the @CityofJax contests on the ballot, but why? Please join @AGGancarski & @NateMonroeTU next Monday (3/20) at 8 PM on @TwitterSpaces. #jaxpol #Flapol https://t.co/fDoKQEyqJA

— Chris Hand (@chrishandjax) March 13, 2023

In the spotlight

Marty Fiorentino of the Fiorentino Group recently chatted with Capital Analytics Associates about lobbying and advocacy, with Northeast Florida obviously a big topic.

“I see Northeast Florida as a late bloomer in relation to the rest of Florida, but it’s definitely blooming. I can see cranes, construction and green space from my office window all across downtown Jacksonville. There is a lot happening in our region. A few projects come to mind, one being the NFL stadium, which will need to be upgraded,” Fiorentino notes. “We were also able to work with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority on another federal grant for a project called U2C, which is an autonomous vehicle project along the river from the entertainment district to the JTA transportation hub.”

Fiorentino thinks the best is yet to come for the region, meanwhile.

“Northeast Florida will continue to grow which will broaden our tax base. I foresee exponential growth in medical and health care research. Our medical and health care institutions are second to none and create a lot of high-paying jobs. On the fintech side with FNF, Black Knight, FIS and Dun & Bradstreet there are a lot of companies that will grow and continue to relocate here. This will create an opportunity for our education providers, with Flagler College, UNF, EWC, Jacksonville University and other academic institutions to create more high-tech, high-wage jobs.”

“I also foresee a stronger partnership with the University of Florida and Jacksonville, as Jacksonville is the closest urban center to Gainesville. With UF here, that partnership will strengthen. As a native of the region and Gator alum, I always hoped this would happen and I’m excited for what’s ahead as this partnership is strengthened.”

Read the profile here.

Carrier of the Year

Crowley, one of the more prominent tenants at JAXPORT, received a significant honor when Home Depot awarded the shipping company Offshore Carrier of the Year.

The award came from Crowley’s speed and efficiency in moving cargo to and from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Being honored as The Home Depot’s Offshore Carrier of the Year exemplifies our team members’ dedication and capabilities to providing our customers with efficient service that goes above and beyond what is expected,” said Brett Bennett, senior vice president and general manager for Crowley Logistics.

“We appreciate The Home Depot’s support and partnership. Crowley looks forward to working with customers to continue supporting their strategic growth and resiliency by providing consistent and reliable supply chain solutions.”

Home Depot noted Crowley performed at a high-level during emergencies like Hurricane Fiona, keeping up reliability while implementing innovative strategies and surge capabilities.

The company also helped Home Depot, specifically, with fuel in the storm’s aftermath so customers impacted by the storm could obtain supplies.

Try again

Dredging is a near-constant activity around Northeast Florida’s beaches and ports, despite potential severe environmental impacts. Guidance from federal fishery managers to limit projects or at least eliminate their most destructive aspects is getting sent back to an advisory panel.

The policy document begins, “In general, frequent and widespread beach renourishment projects (dredge-and-fill) occurring in the United States southeast together may cause measurable impacts to (essential fish habitat) under the jurisdiction of the (South Atlantic Fishery Management Council).

“Coastal communities are strongly encouraged to evaluate the full range of alternatives, including retreat, to these types of projects when addressing erosion and sea level rise.”

Members of the SAFMC Habitat Protection and Ecosystem-Based Management Advisory Panel (AP) worked on the document last year, and they will get another shot at it. The latest language notably differs from the stronger words in the previous draft.

A 2019 study found that three-quarters of the Atlantic seaboard is within 16 kilometers (about 10 miles) of a beach renourishment activity.

Jessica McCawley, an SAFMC member and Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries Management for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said she was not ready to approve the policy as written.

Part of the issue is ensuring the best and most recent available science is included.

The document contains several options to dredge and fill. One of the options listed in the policy is to let nature take its course and allow for the coastline retreat, which at least one Council member called “impossible.”

Deferred diploma

In February, Hope Haven hosted two sessions on Diploma Deferral to offer parents/caregivers ways to defer a child’s diploma to extend eligibility for services.

Hope Haven is the Jacksonville-based education advocacy organization to help children with disabilities and their families with specialized services and individualized learning opportunities.

Diploma Deferral allows students with disabilities to continue to receive special education services from their school district (for public school students) or the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities (for private school students).

Youth ages 3-21 can receive Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE); however, these services end once a student earns a high school diploma. The deferral program allows the student to continue to receive services through a variety of Extended Transition options.

A student can defer if they are enrolled with an IEP (public school) or FES-UA (private school), have met the graduation requirements, their IEP states that they are entitled to services through their 22nd birthday, and they enroll in an approved educational program once deferred.

Hope Academy is an option for students who would benefit from a diploma deferral.

As an “employability skills training program,” Hope Academy focuses on functional academics, the employment process, vocational and life skills (self-advocacy, financial literacy, cooking, etc.).

Students in Hope Academy also participate in Work Based Learning Experiences through Vocational Rehab.

A no-cost consultation will give family members the opportunity to speak to an advocate who can assist in obtaining the services needed for their child. Advocacy services are available for children in early intervention (birth to 3), school (3-22) and beyond.

To learn more, schedule a consultation with Shea Summers, the Hope Haven Education and Clinical Advocate.